


Baeksoo: Cruise AU

by Practicemakesperfect



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Barista Baek, DOES THIS COUNT AS FLUFF, IDK how to tag this tbh, It's probably like two-day burn, LMAO, M/M, baeksoo - Freeform, does this count as slow burn, who knows - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 05:15:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20237329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Practicemakesperfect/pseuds/Practicemakesperfect
Summary: When Jongin drags Kyungsoo on a cruise to get over his fear of swimming, Kyungsoo isn't expecting to meet a cute barista who also happens to know a thing or two about teaching people how to swim.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY. So I'm getting obsessed with different AUs and it IS BAD. Especially since I was supposed to finish WIngs AU before I did anything else but now I'm like pants off guys. I'm going to start TEN MILLION AUS.
> 
> I'll let you guys know if any new AUs are just to write or if I'm actually planning on finishing it. This one should be short but no promises here (I will add another chapter soon though!). I'm definitely planning on finishing Wings AU at some point but MAN do I need a break from the angst.
> 
> Anyways here we are <3

Kyungsoo might have been a little drunk. 

Or, at least, that was the excuse he was giving for the way he was acting. It was either the wine or the fact that he was on a cruise when he A) couldn’t stand boats and B) couldn’t swim. Even floating on his back was a challenge. Jongin had been trying to teach him how to swim for a while now, but Kyungsoo could barely even get into the water without feeling uncomfortable. Regardless, there they were, in the middle of the ocean on a cruise. And Kyungsoo couldn’t swim, and so he was miserable.

And drunk.

But just a little bit. He was sober enough to flip Jongin off when he whined about them being there for him to get over his fear, and maybe enjoy himself for once. “Well,” Kyungsoo grumbled. “I’m _definitely_ enjoying myself. Look at how much I’m enjoying my time here.”

To demonstrate, Kyungsoo gave Jongin a sarcastic smile and finished his glass of wine. He put it on the counter and turned in his seat, sighing as he looked at the pool where the bar was set up. It was the middle of the night, or almost the middle of the night, and the moon reflected on the surface of the water in a way that made everything sparkle. Kyungsoo had to admit that, had it not been for his… dislike of water, this would have been a relaxing vacation. “Okay,” he relented. “You’re right. This is supposed to be a vacation. We should enjoy it.”

Jongin grinned. “That’s the spirit. And maybe we can get you swimming while we’re at it.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo winced. “Maybe.” He started turning back around, saying, “I’m feeling kind of tired, now. Let’s just…”

And maybe it was the wine. Or maybe Kyungsoo just had a habit of blaming alcohol, but his mind stopped working when he turned and saw the barista talking to someone else, presumably the next in line for the shift. The new guy was gorgeous. Smooth skin, lively eyes, slightly-ruffled hair--he was the living definition of Kyungsoo’s type. And then he smiled, laughed at whatever the other barista said as they switched places and the other guy started walking away, and Kyungsoo felt everything in him falter for a moment. His laugh. It was--

“Yeah, you’re right,” Jongin said, interrupting his thoughts. The new barista turned at the sound, aiming his distractingly-perfect smile right at the two of them. The corners of Jongin’s lips were also tilted upwards, but his was more knowing. “It is kind of late. I guess I’ll go to sleep, now. We’ll practicing swimming tomorrow. You should stay and have a couple more drinks before you go. You know, since you like the wine so much.” He grinned at Kyungsoo and before Kyungsoo could say anything, hurried off to their room.

Kyungsoo swallowed. He could feel the man examining him from across the bar while he tried to decide what to do. Stay and try to make awkward conversation, or leave and probably regret that decision for the rest of his life?

He took maybe half a second to choose the latter and moved to leave, only to be interrupted by the barista saying, “you’re leaving me alone?”

The slight pout in his voice made Kyungsoo’s stomach flip. He turned and said, “long day tomorrow.”

“Ah, learning how to swim?” His smile was teasing now, and Kyungsoo cursed Jongin for saying it so loudly earlier. 

Kyungsoo cleared his throat, ears burning. “Yeah, something like that.”

The barista nodded. His eyes reflected the light from the pool, intense on Kyungsoo’s own. “Tell me if I’m overstepping any boundaries but… mind if I join? I used to be a swim instructor, so…”

“Uh.” Kyungsoo watched the disappointment flash across his face at his hesitation. “No, yeah, that would be great.” Instantly, the light was back in his eyes, and Kyungsoo felt an inexplicable surge of relief. “When are you off?”

“I’m off all morning. I only do the night shifts.” 

“Oh, then…”

The barista’s eyes shone with amusement. He took out a slip of paper and a pen, scribbling on it before sliding it across the counter. “My number. Let me know whenever you’re learning and I’ll stop by to help. Sound good?”

God, his face must be so red. Kyungsoo nodded and took the paper, avoiding the other man’s gaze. Time to go, or else he’d probably combust. “See you,” he muttered, or something, and left before things could get any more embarrassing.


	2. Chapter 2

Yeah, Kyungsoo regretted it.

Telling the cute barista to help him swim was a terrible idea. Not only did Kyungsoo have to worry about not drowning, but he also had to be self-conscious of how he looked. Standing in front of the mirror, Kyungsoo was already feeling nervous. He felt stupid. And exposed. And really, really stressed.

He sighed at his reflection, mussing his hair in a fruitless attempt to reset his bedhead. God knew how this would work out. He’d probably just make a fool out of himself and ruin…

...ruin what, exactly?

It wasn’t like he actually expected anything from the man he’d met last night. After all, he was probably just being friendly. And if not, he was probably just using Kyungsoo to get closer to Jongin like all the other people before him. Not that Kyungsoo could blame them--even though he only saw Jongin as a childhood friend, he couldn’t deny that the guy was scarily handsome. Tall, well-sculpted, it was a wonder he was still single. Hell, if Kyungsoo hadn’t witnessed him pee his pants in the third grade, maybe he’d crush on Jongin, too.

Kyungsoo shuddered at the thought and glanced to his phone that sat daringly close to the edge of the night stand. Underneath was the paper Kyungsoo didn’t feel like thinking about, a peek of numbers showing where the phone didn’t cover. Kyungsoo had already memorized the number, and the words written in messy handwriting underneath: _See you tomorrow!_

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo muttered. “Sure.”

A knock at the door startled Kyungsoo out of his reverie and Jongin’s voice followed. “Kyungsoo, you ready?” A second later, Jongin poked his head into the room, then walked in when he saw that Kyungsoo was decent. “Did you call that guy yet? We’re going out now.”

“No…” Kyungsoo pulled on a shirt and grabbed his towel, leaving his phone where it was. 

Jongin grabbed it and the paper. “Why not? He asked you if he could come.”

“It’ll just make things more stressful,” Kyungsoo answered, ignoring Jongin when he held it out for Kyungsoo to take. “Can we just… do this? I’ll just apologize to him later, or something.”

Jongin frowned, but nodded nonetheless. “Whatever you’re comfortable with, then. I’m bringing your phone just in case you change your mind. He was pretty cute, you know.”

Kyungsoo only rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t bring himself to outright disagree. It’d be a blatant lie anyway, and would only bring more attention to the fact that he thought the barista guy was actually really, really attractive. Thank god he wouldn’t be seeing him at the pool. He wasn’t ready for that kind of anxiety.

Or that was what he thought. Except that the moment he and Jongin got there, the first person they saw was barista guy. 

“It’s fate,” Jongin said jokingly to Kyungsoo, who groaned. Barista guy was in casual clothes this time, a polo shirt and shorts, and was talking to another guy who was also suspiciously handsome. Before Kyungsoo could stop him, Jongin raised a hand and yelled, “Hey! Cute barista!”

He turned, saw them, and grinned. “So you guys were already here. I was waiting on that call.” He met eyes with Kyungsoo, raising an eyebrow.

“...I was going to call you when we got here,” Kyungsoo said lamely. 

“Well, good thing you don’t have to anymore. Since you ran off so quickly last night… hello, I’m Baekhyun.” The man in question held out his hand, tilting his head cutely. 

“Kyungsoo.” His hand was warm and welcoming. Kyungsoo found himself smiling back.

“This is Yixing. He’s a lifeguard and also my friend, so I thought he would be a good addition to the teaching crew, if that’s alright.”

“That’s totally fine,” Jongin jumped in. “The more the merrier. I’m Jongin.”

“Nice to meet you.” Yixing shook his hand, and Baekhyun followed suit. “Since Baekhyun is the resident instructor, I’m just going to watch from the sidelines. But I’ll be here for moral support.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Jongin said, grinning. Baekhyun looked at Kyungsoo expectantly.

“That’s a lot of trust right off the bat,” Kyungsoo joked.

“Don’t worry. I’m pretty trustworthy.” Baekhyun started taking off his shirt, and Kyungsoo coughed. “Ready?”

Oh, god. Kyungsoo felt the nausea roll through his stomach. “Yeah,” he said, and took off his shirt. “Um, should I take my glasses off, too?”

“Yep.” Kyungsoo handed his frames to Jongin and looked at the smudge that was his new instructor.

“Let’s start off in the shallow end and work our way from--whoops.” Baekhyun held onto Kyungsoo’s arm to steady him, then laughed. “You really can’t see?”

“I really can’t,” Kyungsoo confirmed.

“We’ll have you wear your glasses for now, then.” Jongin gave them to Baekhyun, who put them back on for Kyungsoo. “As I was saying, we’ll start from the shallow end and work our way from there.”

The two of them made their way to the pool, Baekhyun hopping in easily and Kyungsoo hesitating by the edge.

“You can do it!” Jongin called somewhere behind him, and Kyungsoo resisted the urge to send him the middle finger.

The water was up to Baekhyun’s chest. Nothing Kyungsoo couldn’t handle. He could easily reach the bottom with his feet. No problem. Nothing to worry about.

Kyungsoo lowered himself slowly into the water and adjusted his glasses, breathing slowly in and out. When he’d reached Baekhyun, he kept his hands under the surface so he couldn’t see them shake. 

“You alright?” Baekhyun was looking at him intently, eyes furrowed in worry.

Kyungsoo considered lying. He didn’t feel like going into his history with swimming. But there was no way for him to mask his fear. “I’m a little nervous,” he admitted, wetting his lips. The water was clear, reminiscent of that day years ago, clear enough for him to see his feet at the bottom. The feeling of solid ground was comforting.

Baekhyun came closer in the water. This close, Kyungsoo could see the water droplets in his hair and face, shining in the early morning sun. His voice wasn’t playful the way Kyungsoo had already been accustomed to hearing. The seriousness in it had Kyungsoo’s full attention. “Why are you nervous?”

Kyungsoo looked down. He tried to steady his breaths. “When I was younger I almost drowned. It’s been hard to get into swimming ever since.”

Baekhyun frowned, reached out and clasped a hand over Kyungsoo’s arm. “I’m sorry you went through that. If this is too uncomfortable with you and you want to go back…”

Kyungsoo searched the brown eyes that stared into his own. Something in them made him say, “it’s okay. I’ll try.”

“I promise I won’t let you drown,” Baekhyun said, and released his arm. “I think it’s a good idea to just stay here and get you used to being in the water. You look really nervous, and that’s not a good feeling to have in the water.”

“Yeah…” Kyungsoo looked down at his hands under the surface, clenching and releasing them. 

“You know,” Baekhyun said suddenly. “I almost drowned a while ago, too.” His eyes were distant, but they still stayed on Kyungsoo’s reassuring. “I was in the pool, actually. I used to swim competitively, and I was practicing. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of shallow water blackout, but that’s what happened. I almost died.” He glances over Kyungsoo’s shoulder, to where their friends were sitting and talking. “If it weren’t for Yixing, I probably wouldn’t have made it.”

Kyungsoo nodded, listening. His breathing was calming a bit.

“I was scared to swim for a while after that. A really long time, actually. But I guess it’s just something I could never let go of, because a couple of years later I was back. It was tough, but it was possible. I believe you can do this, too.”

Baekhyun’s voice was calm, sure. It was a sound Kyungsoo wasn’t used to, but it was a sound he’d desperately needed. He said, “I think I’m ready to try a bit.”

“Okay.” Baekhyun didn’t move. “First things first. I want you to get comfortable with getting your head a little wet. Can you put your face into the water for a bit? All you need to do is take in a breath and breathe out in the water. Like this.” Baekhyun demonstrated, making bubbles under the surface, then came back up and looked at Kyungsoo expectantly. 

Again, Kyungsoo felt the nausea push up to his chest. He took off his glasses, handing them to Baekhyun, and took a deep breath. But instead of putting his head under, he let the air out shakily. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly. Without waiting to hear Baekhyun’s response, he took in another breath and put his head under the water.

Breathe out. Slowly, controlled. Through the nose… he remembered that from when he took his first (and last) swimming lesson before he almost drowned. When he resurfaced, Kyungsoo felt a weird sense of accomplishment that only heightened when he saw Baekhyun’s face.

“That was good!” Baekhyun clapped for him, and Kyungsoo flushed. “Let’s just do that for a bit, and then we can move on to something else.”

And so that’s what they did. It was really strange, but Kyungsoo felt himself feeling more at ease the more that he did it. Eventually Baekhyun had him move on to the next exercise: floating on his back.

“All you have to do is lie down. Don’t think too much about the details. The water will support you.” Baekhyun put his hands gently underneath Kyungsoo’s back, and Kyungsoo tried to swallow the sudden panic that was welling in his stomach. He focused on the point where Baekhyun touched his skin, closed his eyes. “You’re doing great,” he heard Baekhyun say, and then he felt nothing underneath him.

Instantly, fear flooded into his system. Kyungsoo started to sink.

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s okay, you’re okay.” Baekhyun steadied him as he floundered before he found the floor. He coughed out the water that he’d inhaled, wincing at the stinging pain of the water in his throat. Baekhyun held onto his arms firmly. “I think maybe we should take a break. You’re doing really good so far, but I don’t want to stress you out too much too fast.”

Kyungsoo nodded and allowed himself to be led out of the water and onto the side of the pool. Baekhyun smiled at him, still in the water, holding out his glasses for him to take.

“Thanks,” Kyungsoo said, slipping them on. He winced. “Sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Nothing is. You’re doing really well, I promise.”

Kyungsoo looked at him, the way his lips pulled in an almost perfect smile. Kyungsoo thought his voice was probably everything he’d ever needed. “Thank you,” Kyungsoo said, and Baekhyun’s eyes sparkled.

“It’s my pleasure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I might have gotten lazy by the end but MAN I actually pulled an all nighter to help my sister (she’s overseas) and wow I forgot how that felt like. My dream when I went to sleep at like ten in the morning was wild. Anyway. Until next time 😅 (I wonder if emojis work....)

**Author's Note:**

> Just saying, this was one of a couple of Baeksoo stuff I didn't put out yet because I had no idea what I was doing with it but then I read it and I was like. But it's cute???? So yolo guys! I'm in the mood for some cruise since summer is running away. And yeah. Until next update! (or next AU or next fic or whatever idk man)
> 
> Oh wait. If anyone knows how to tag platonic relationships and feels like imparting their wisdom that would be AMAZING thank you love you guys <333


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